1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns portable telephones into which the user inserts an identity card to enable operation of the telephone, and in particular an identity card reader device integrated into a portable telephone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Using a portable telephone entails using a user identity card usually called and SIM card in the European market and which must be recognized by the telephone before it is used.
Stand-alone SIM card readers are available from distributors. However, these stand-alone readers are bulky because of the connectors required to provide the interface between the reader and the telephone.
Integrating the SIM card reader into the telephone has therefore been envisaged, as in the case of the card reader described in application FR-A-2 687 815, which has a set of electrical contacts embedded in a substantially plane platform and a cover plate spaced from the platform so that the cover plate and the platform form a cavity into which the identity card can be inserted and pressed against the electrical contacts of the platform. Unfortunately the contacts on the platform making the connection to the identity card take up space and occupy a non-negligible thickness in this type of telephone, in which optimal use of space is a major preoccupation.